Varian gyrotron sets a world record; Latest 110-GHz unit achieves 350 kilowatts at 10 seconds.PALO ALTO Palo Alto, city, California Palo Alto (păl`ō ăl`tō), city (1990 pop. 55,900), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1894. Although primarily residential, Palo Alto has aerospace, electronics, and advanced research industries. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 1995--Varian Associates, Inc., established a new world record in millimeter-wave power generation, coming one step closer to making fusion power Fusion power refers to power generated by nuclear fusion reactions. In this kind of reaction, two light atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus and release energy. a reality. By operating a 110-GHz gyrotron oscillator oscillator Mechanical or electronic device that produces a back-and-forth periodic motion. A pendulum is a simple mechanical oscillator that swings with a constant amplitude, requiring the addition of energy at each swing only to compensate for the energy lost because of air at over 350 kilowatts of nominal output power for a 10-second pulse duration, Varian has doubled Toshiba's previous record of 5 seconds at 350kW. The new Varian tube also has an operating efficiency of 33%. "This achievement brings us closer to developing a source of power for the next generation of fusion energy experiments," says Marshall Loring, gyrotron team leader. Varian's goal is to produce a gyrotron capable of delivering one megawatt continuous-wave power production. This could be used in a facility designed to serve as a bridge between experiments and commercial fusion power production. The 110-GHz gyrotron was developed under contract with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at Cambridge; coeducational; chartered 1861, opened 1865 in Boston, moved 1916. It has long been recognized as an outstanding technological institute and its Sloan School of Management has notable programs in business, (MIT MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology ) for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fusion Energy. It is the latest addition to a family of gyrotrons built by Varian for DOE-sponsored fusion energy research since the company became involved with the program in 1976. The benefits of fusion are its limitless fuel supply, clean energy production, and safety of containment. The gyrotron is used in electron cyclotron resonance Electron cyclotron resonance is a phenomenon observed both in plasma physics and condensed matter physics. An electron in a static and uniform magnetic field will move in a circle due to the Lorentz force. heating (ECRH ECRH Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating ) by producing extremely high frequencies of microwaves which heat a hydrogen gas -- "plasma" -- to very high levels. The goal is to receive more energy than is being put into the reaction by obtaining ignition. Ignition is achieved when the plasma temperature maintains a high enough level that energy production is self-sustaining, needing only the addition of more fuel. Varian's previous record-breaking developments have produced 400 kilowatts at 0.5 second pulse duration at 140 GHz, 300 kilowatts at 2.0-seconds pulse duration at 110 GHz, and over 100 kilowatts continuous-wave at 110 GHz for several hours. Varian Associates, Inc., is a diversified, international, high-technology company with annual sales in excess of $1.5 billion. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., it produces systems and components for medical, communications, scientific, industrial, and defense markets worldwide. CONTACT: Varian Associates, Inc. Bill Evans, 415/424-4504 or bill.evans@grc.varian.com |
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